News from Haiti

From Susan Merten, wife of the U.S. Ambassador to Haiti, this firsthand report of the Jan. 16 earthquake given at Falls Church, Virginia, Rotary last Thursday.

“A horrible groaning from the earth as things started to shake. ... The noise became like a train roaring through our bedroom. ... The stairs rippling like waves on the water. ... Our building constructed in 1939 was earthquake resistant, which saved our lives, while across the street the old Hotel Christoph, housing U.N. Peacekeeping forces, collapsed and 400 were killed. Higher up the hill, the Hotel Montana also collapsed, taking the lives of many staying there.
“A dust cloud arose over the rubble, the result of shanty towns on the hills above the capital sliding into the valley. The night was pitch-black, with no electricity, and the city screamed all night long. After daylight: crying, screaming, bodies, collapsed buildings with limbs hanging out; ... and people just walking around in a daze. Over a million of the nation's nine million people residing in a country the size of Maryland are now homeless.
"The problem is not going away. For a country that may as well have been hit by an atomic bomb, the recovery and rebuilding effort will be daunting. With a million homeless and the rainy season coming only a few months away, the needs there will be enormous for a long time.”

From Rodney and Sharyn Babe our Missionaries in Haiti:

John,

Sharyn was seriously injured when our 4th floor apartment building totally collapsed. Her back was broken 3 places and about 7 ribs. there was other severe trauma injuries. She was medivaced to Cuba and then to Ft Lauderdale.

I have spoken with Sharyn about every evening and she has had a massive improvement in the last 3 days. With the aid of a walker, she now walks about 20 feet each day for PT. All are amazed at her recovery; guess they don't know the power of prayers.

I saw my first picture of her yesterday. She looks extremely old but with a great smile. Her body cast is not Grammy Award stylish but is doing the job well.

I hope to see her live later this week.

It has taken a long time to tell you thanks, but I am a terrible typist and work has been 24/7 trying to get responses to affected communities.

Rodney